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Estimating answers (age 7+)

Estimate and read time with increasing accuracy to the nearest minute; record and compare time in terms of seconds, minutes, and hours

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What a learner can do afterwards

  • Read an analogue clock to the nearest minute
  • Estimate how long an activity takes in minutes or seconds
  • Compare two durations and determine which is longer

The lesson

You already know how to read a clock to the minute. Now you will use that skill to find out how long something lasts. That amount of time is called a duration.

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Some jobs are quick. Some take much longer. Estimating means guessing a sensible number of minutes before you check with a clock.
Try it together

Mia's piano practice starts at 4:05 and ends at 4:20. To find how long it lasted, count forward from 5 to 20. That is 15 minutes.

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Good to know

To compare two durations, look at the number of minutes. The one with more minutes takes longer, as long as you count both the same way.

To find a duration, read the clock, count the minutes between start and end, and compare which one took longer.

Watch it

Where it sits

Where this leads

Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.

Then practise

8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.

Estimating answers (age 7+) · Mathematics, ages 7 to 8 · LightMySky